Between a rock and a hard place
by honeyMellon
Summary: After Ichigo makes one mistake after another during training and denies that he's distracted, Renji decided to show him what real distraction is like.


**This here is a rather long one-shot, set after "Out of Sight". Hope you guys will like it. :)**

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Ichigo's shoulders trembled as he bent over, chest heaving as his lungs struggled to suck in enough air to keep him conscious. Zangetsu's blade was half-buried in the ground, and Ichigo used that to support his weight, holding on to the hilt of his weapon so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Sweat rolled off his skin, his hair, seemingly pouring out from every pore on his body.

"Is that all you've got?" a deep, throaty voice taunted.

Even without looking up, Ichigo knew the man was smirking. It was always like that, one stupid mistake and he would have to hear about it all day. His fists tightened as the mocking tone grinded on his nerves. _God_ if he could only get up and wipe that arrogant smile off of that face...

"Fuck off, Renji," Ichigo growled. His chest was ablaze as he continued to take in ragged breaths. Man, all he did was miss one week of training from a stupid ankle injury and it seemed as if his skills had regressed by half.

The redhead threw his head back and laughed in delight. "I win!" he said gleefully as he placed Zabimaru back in its sheath at his hip.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, no doubt associating Renji's name with some colorful words in his vocabulary. Renji caught his reaction and the grin on his face widened.

"Come on, don't be such a spoilsport," Renji said, ruffling his friend's spiky hair good-naturedly. "You'll get used to it—_oof!_" A no-to-gentle poke in his ribs sent him doubling over in pain, but he still continued to laugh, knowing that he was pushing all the right buttons to send Ichigo into a fury.

It's not that he liked seeing the boy angry, it was just that he knew this was the best way to motivate Ichigo to work harder. If there was one thing worse than Ichigo's hotheadedness, it was the boy's competitive streak. It was almost too easy to provoke Ichigo, and Renji was more than happy to do it.

The other reason Renji liked to tease Ichigo like this was a bit more personal. When Ichigo was angry and annoyed, his cheeks would become pink and his brown eyes would narrow dangerously. The determined gleam in those eyes, along with the way his jaw flexed sent Renji's pulse racing. It was worth it; Renji knew there would be hell to pay later for doing this, but he would gladly pay it, just to see Ichigo like this.

"You're pushing your luck, buddy," Ichigo hissed, kicking Renji's shin, then grinned when the redhead howled in pain.

"Aww," Renji straightened up and hooked his hand around Ichigo's neck. Pulling the boy tightly against his chest, he leaned in and whispered into Ichigo's ear, "You look so adorable like this...mmm..." He let his sentence trail off into a _very_ suggestive moan, and watched in amusement when the tips of Ichigo's ears abruptly turned bright red.

"Fuck off!" Ichigo cried, his voice a tad too high-pitched than he liked. He unwrapped the redhead's arm from his neck and pushed Renji away. Now he looked absolutely flustered, cheeks an even brighter pink than a minute ago.

Renji chuckled. Ah, Ichigo. It was _so_ easy to irritate the boy that it was almost cruel.

"Come on, let's go for another round," Ichigo said gruffly to cover up his embarrassment. Flexing his arms to loosen the sore muscles, he pulled Zangetsu from the ground and went into a fighting stance.

The confident smirk returned on Renji's face. "Bring it on."

Damn Renji and his suggestive innuendos, Ichigo grumbled to himself as he tried to focus on dodging Renji's blows. The idiot _knew_ that it would get under Ichigo's skin yet he always did it, it was as if the guy was doing it just to piss him off! Ichigo scowled at the thought. No doubt _that_ was precisely why Renji did it.

"Concentrate on your enemy! Where the hell are you looking at?" Renji's voice snapped Ichigo out of his thoughts, and he barely had enough time to leap away as Zabimaru came hurtling towards him. He managed to dodge the blow, but his _shihakusho_ wasn't as lucky. With a sickening ripping sound, Zabimaru's jagged blade cut through the lower half of Ichigo's _shihakusho_.

Renji was too far away to see if the flesh underneath the black robe was cut, so his heart sank. With a quick flick of his wrist, he yanked his whip-like weapon back and examined the blade: no blood. A wave of relief swept over him.

"What were you looking at?" Renji asked in annoyance as he approached Ichigo, who was sitting on the ground catching his breath. "You do that with a hollow and it won't just be your clothes that's sliced in half." His voice came out harsher than he'd intended, but he couldn't help it. Ichigo couldn't afford to make stupid mistakes like this.

"Sorry," Ichigo said in a small voice. He ran his fingers over the ripped edges of his robe and felt guilty. Renji was spending so much time and energy training him and yet he kept messing up, over and over again. Even though he had been distracted because of what Renji had said, he knew that he needed to learn to block out all personal thoughts, otherwise it would be the death of him in the battlefield.

With a grunt, Renji sat down next to the boy. "Are you hurt?" he asked, scanning Ichigo's body for any cuts.

Ichigo shook his head. "No."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, each secretly grateful for the opportunity to rest. Ichigo stared up into the sky and sighed. Well, it wasn't as much sky as it was a ceiling. Urahara's underground training ground was timeless, it was easy to lose track of day and time in it. Absent-mindedly, Ichigo wondered if it was dinner time yet.

"I'm sorry," Renji suddenly broke the silence.

Ichigo turned to look at the redhead in surprise. "What for?"

Renji scratched his head in embarrassment. "I distracted you, didn't I?" he asked. Of course he did. He had heard Ichigo's breath quicken the moment he whispered those words in the boy's ear. It was just a single sentence, but they haven't done anything for days, it was expected that Ichigo would be easily riled up.

"Nah," Ichigo said dismissively. "It has nothing to do with you." _Of course you did, asshole._

Renji grinned. "Oh yeah?" he said. "So I didn't distract you?" _Liar._

"No," Ichigo lied, too embarrassed to admit it. _Yes._

_Bad liar_. Renji's grin widened. Well well, if Ichigo wanted it this way, Renji was only too happy to oblige. Carefully, so that Ichigo wouldn't notice, Renji shifted slightly closer to the boy. _We'll see about that_.

Oblivious to Renji's devious scheme, Ichigo didn't notice anything amiss until he suddenly felt a feather light touch on the back of his neck. He jumped.

"What was that?" he asked, slapping his hand on his neck.

"What?" Renji said innocently, leaning closer to Ichigo. That was a close one—if he hadn't moved his finger when he did, Ichigo would've caught him.

Ichigo looked confused for a minute. Had he just imagined it? It seemed too real to be his imagination though. Looking around and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Ichigo finally shrugged and returned his attention to identifying all the mistakes he had made that day and thinking about how he could've avoided them. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize how close Renji had gotten until he felt warm breath tickle his ear.

"What the hell?" Ichigo sputtered, instinctively backing away from his friend. "Too close, waaaay too close!"

Renji grinned. Ignoring Ichigo's protests, he leaned even closer to the boy.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo held up a hand and attempted to stop Renji from coming any closer. "Do you know where this is?"

"Yeah," Renji whispered, using his bed-voice on purpose. Swatting Ichigo's hand aside, he grabbed the boy by the shoulders and pulled him close. Before Ichigo could react, Renji crushed their lips together, then, just as Ichigo began to breathe heavily, the redhead pulled away, leaving Ichigo flustered and bewildered.

"Get off your butt, let's go for another round," Renji got to his feet, acting like nothing had happened. Inwardly he chuckled and wondered how long he could get away with this before Ichigo snapped.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the abrupt change of behavior. Despite his confusion, his body had responded to the brief body contact with Renji, and like it or not, he found himself blushing. Annoyed at the redhead as well as at himself, he stood up and tightened his grip on Zangetsu.

Before Ichigo could formulate an attack strategy, Renji made his first strike. Instinctively, Ichigo leapt into the air to dodge the blade. From his vantage point, he had a clear view of Renji, and he was momentarily awestruck by what he saw. He watched the redhead flex his forearm to rear up for the next attack, and as Renji's hand stretched, the collar of his _shihakusho_ was tugged open, and Ichigo caught a glimpse of the briefly exposed tattooed chest. It was truly a brief glimpse, barely two seconds long, but it was enough to steal his attention away from his surroundings, and he narrowly missed a boulder when he landed.

"Oi, oi!" Renji called out, cringing at the close call. _Yep, definitely distracted_.

Ichigo leaned against the boulder with a scowl on his face. He was annoyed at himself for losing focus so easily, but he just couldn't concentrate. Instead of focusing on Renji's weapon, he spent more time ogling at the _wielder_ of the weapon. Granted, they hadn't done anything since the quickie session in his shower, but still, he really needed to get his priorities straight.

The cause of his distraction walked up to him and gave him a sly smile. "What happened?" Renji called, arching an eyebrow, even though he knew full well what led to Ichigo's fumble.

Ichigo's scowl deepened. If he could just wipe that arrogant smirk off Renji's face...Yet, he couldn't help swallowing when he looked at the approaching man. Renji was walking towards him in his typical confident swagger, steps firm, back straight, oh and the way his ponytail swayed when he walked—

"Yo," Renji asked, waving a hand in front of Ichigo, who had spaced out. "Distracted?" A corner of his mouth curled up in a smug smile. _Definitely distracted_.

"No," Ichigo replied irritably. It was a blatant lie, and he knew that Renji knew it.

Renji's smile widened as Ichigo's ears reddened again. The boy could say all he wanted, but his body was lousy liar. "My my," Renji said, pressing himself against Ichigo, effectively pinning the teen against the boulder. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're all hot and bothered because of me."

"Oh, you're so fucking full of yourself," Ichigo growled, but much to his chagrin, he felt a familiar stirring below his belly.

"Yeah?" Renji's voice lowered to a seductive whisper. "Maybe I know because of this..." He suddenly reached between them and wrapped his fingers around the unmistakable bulge in Ichigo's pants.

Ichigo's face immediately flushed a deep red. With an annoyed grunt, he slapped Renji's hand away, but the redhead grabbed his wrist and held it firmly against his side.

"Mmm...did I tell you how adorable you look when you're shy?" Renji brushed his lips on Ichigo's cheek.

"I'm not shy!" Ichigo retorted. True, he wasn't feeling shy, he was just really, really, _really_ embarrassed. What's wrong with Renji? They should be training down here, not—his brain suddenly shut down when he felt Renji's wet lips on his neck, just below his jaw. At the same time, Renji's hand began to stroke him oh-so-slowly through the fabric.

Renji traced his tongue from Ichigo's collarbone up to his earlobe, then he whispered, "What did you say again?" His grin widened when Ichigo simply moaned in reply. _Oh, Renji, Renji,_ he thought to himself, _why are you so cruel? _He felt Ichigo shiver against his chest, and he decided it was time.

"Okay, enough rest, next round!" Renji suddenly pushed away from Ichigo and said. The boy's glassy eyes widened in shock.

"Wha—?" Ichigo stuttered in confusion.

Renji put on what he hoped was a stern face. "You're here to train, aren't you?" he asked.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. _What the fuck?_ He caught a mischievous gleam in his friend's eyes and immediately realized that Renji was toying with him. _The bastard! _His blood boiled. "Oh no you don't," he growled, advancing towards Renji. "Don't you dare start something and then walk away..."

"Oh? What're you gonna do?" Renji raised his eyebrows in amusement. Inwardly, his heart began to beat faster; something about Ichigo's eyes was different, it had a glint that Renji had never seen before. Perhaps...perhaps he had gone overboard?

Just as Renji began to back away, Ichigo reached out and grabbed his collar. "You're not going anywhere," he snarled. His body felt like it was burning, especially the region between his legs. The thought of Renji teasing him like this pissed him off, but it also had another effect—it turned him on. The redhead had lit a small fire in his loins, and looking at the man simply served to fan the flame.

"Umm," Renji said with a hint of alarm as he was pulled towards Ichigo. "Don't forget where we are." He had meant to just provoke the boy, okay, perhaps provoke was not the right word—he was definitely teasing Ichigo, but he hadn't meant for things to go this far. A little fooling around maybe, a kiss here, a caress there, but he could tell that Ichigo wasn't on the same page.

Before he could remind Ichigo about where they were again, he was suddenly yanked forward. He hit the boulder chest-first, then a pair of strong arms grabbed his shoulders and flipped him around. He found himself staring into a pair of blazing brown eyes. _Okay, definitely gone overboard_.

"Uraha—" Renji wasn't allowed to finish his sentence. Ichigo pressed his lips roughly against Renji's mouth and began to suck greedily at Renji's lower lip. The redhead's eyes widened at the urgency in Ichigo's kiss, then with a smile, he parted his lips for the boy.

Not two minutes later, all thoughts of where they were were lost. The jagged edges of the boulder dug into Renji's back, but he was too preoccupied with this newfound version of Ichigo to pay any heed. It was as if a dam had burst within the boy, and all his frustration and pent-up desire spilled out, overwhelming even the more-experienced man.

They had since slid down to the ground, with Renji sitting with his back pressed firmly against the boulder. His _shihakusho_ was a sorry sight—ragged bits of the robe hung limply off his shoulder, having been ripped by Ichigo in his hurry to get to Renji's body. Pink lines of scratches ran down Renji's stomach and thigh where the boy had dragged his fingernails along the flesh in the process of removing Renji's hakama. The redhead had hissed in pain when Ichigo's nails dug into his skin, but the warm wetness that enveloped his length after that more than compensated for it.

"Stop," Renji gasped, tightening his grip on Ichigo's hair. The boy had been alternating between sucking and licking in the past few minutes and it was pushing Renji close to his limit. "Stop, I don't—" _Not yet not yet not yet!_ Renji clenched his eyes shut and struggled to hold himself back. "Stop!"

Just as Renji thought it was going to be too late, Ichigo released him with a soft "pop". The redhead immediately sighed in relief, then his sigh turned into a surprised yelp when Ichigo rudely yanked his legs apart.

"Oi!" Renji squirmed in alarm. "Wait—" He had never bottomed before, and although he didn't really mind doing it for Ichigo, at the rate the boy was going, he'd be going around with a limp tomorrow. "Stop!" He reached down and grabbed Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo stilled, but continued to breath in gasps and pants. "What?" he asked, his voice hoarse from impatience and need.

"You have to..." Renji said, looking around in dismay. "You gotta prepare me! Remember how I always do it for you?" But there was only sand, grass, and rocks around them.

"Can I use spit?" Ichigo asked, also realizing that there was absolutely nothing down here that could serve the purpose.

Renji balked. As he hesitated, Ichigo made a pained face and gripped Renji's knee. His hand trembled slightly as his hold tightened. Renji took a quick look at Ichigo's crotch—no wonder the boy was so desperate, he was a deep shade of red, almost bordering on purple, even.

"Fine," Renji said, sucking in a deep breath. He'd totally asked for this.

Watching Ichigo fumble awkwardly to position himself, Renji fought down the urge to laugh despite his worry. As Ichigo began to grunt in frustration, Renji grabbed the boy's wrist. "Let me."

Ichigo looked on in fascination as Renji got onto his hands and knees and gently guided Ichigo to switch places. When Ichigo was properly seated with his back against the boulder, Renji straddled his hips.

"Let me do this, okay?" Renji said, running his fingers through Ichigo's messy hair.

Blurry eyed, Ichigo nodded in silence. He watched as Renji spit into his own palm, then winced when the warm, slimy liquid was slathered on him. He wouldn't have thought it was possible, but his heartbeat quickened even more as Renji began to lower himself onto him. Ichigo felt his tip nudge against Renji's entrance, then, along a soft groan of pain from the redhead, he felt Renji's muscles gave way, and all of a sudden, his head was in.

"Oh god," Ichigo gasped, his hand latching onto Renji's thigh in a death grip. "_God..._" This was unbelievable; he'd expected it to feel good, but _this_...He clenched his eyes close and let out a shuddering moan.

Renji held onto Ichigo's shoulder for support and began to move, slowly taking more of Ichigo with each roll of his hip. He wasn't used to the dull ache, but the look on Ichigo's face made it all worthwhile. Oh, and the sounds! The sounds tumbling from the boy's lips sent chills up his spine and made him throb with need.

Before he realized it, the back of his thighs came to rest directly on Ichigo's hips. Finally able to give his aching thigh muscles a rest, Renji stopped his movements and leaned forward, burying his face in Ichigo's neck.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked in a shaky voice. He knew that it would've hurt initially—it had for him—so he gently caressed Renji's thigh with one hand, hoping to soothe the man. His other hand went to Renji's hair and tugged the hair tie off. The redhead's hair came loose and spilled over them both. He felt the erratic beating of Renji's heart against his chest and he was suddenly hit with a wave of emotions.

"I think...I love you," Ichigo whispered even as he felt his face burn. He heard Renji chuckle by his ear, then the redhead's arms wrapped around him and squeezed. Renji didn't have to say it back to him, the redhead had said it plenty of times before, but Ichigo hadn't been able to bring up the courage to say it himself so far. Feeling a little embarrassed, he opened his mouth to say something witty, but Renji suddenly moved, and Ichigo's mind went blank.

He didn't need to be told that he was loud to know that he was, because he was aware that he was making all sorts of sounds, although what exactly he wasn't sure. Each time he was fully sheathed inside Renji again, he would try to say something, but he knew he was just spewing nonsense, judging by Renji's soft laughter.

Renji was not quiet either. This position was new to him; the ache had finally receded into a faraway corner of his mind, replaced by bursts of pleasure whenever Ichigo brushed against his insides. Ichigo's attempts at holding a conversion was amusing, and he was certain that if anyone were to hear them right now, they would both sound like babbling idiots.

Their pace quickened instinctively as time went on, and Renji was soon teetering on the edge. "Hold me," he panted, guiding Ichigo's hand to his aching length. "Hold..."

It didn't take much longer for them to reach the point of no return. Crying out, Renji toppled forward and trembled against Ichigo's body, and Ichigo followed suit almost immediately, releasing deep within his red-haired lover.

Ichigo was the first to recover. "This is what happens when you tease me too much," he said, his voice scratchy from screaming.

"Then I should tease you more often," Renji muttered, his voice muffled because his face was still nestled against Ichigo's neck. As Ichigo chuckled and wrapped his arms around Renji's waist, the redhead lifted his head and grinned.

"You _were_ distracted."

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**The title...kind of fits the story, doesn't it? ;p **


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